Trail Blazers’ win taught Warriors a lesson

Trail Blazers’ win taught Warriors a lesson

If the Warriors need a reminder of the danger lurking ahead, they can look at Stephen Curry sitting on the bench in street clothes.

Or they can think back to Feb. 19, the first game after the All-Star break.

Lillard scored 51 as the Blazers raced past turnover-prone Golden State.

[...] with Curry sidelined by a sprained right knee, the teams meet in the Western Conference semifinals starting Sunday in Oakland.

The Warriors rank second among all playoff teams in scoring defense, allowing only 91.2 points per game.

In the length of an NBA season sometimes there’s slippage, and that was one area we slipped in.

The Blazers embrace a fast pace, which the Warriors usually welcome but might try to temper without Curry.

The Warriors did win three of their four regular-season games against Portland.

“This is a team you can’t overlook, with the potency they have on offense,” guard Klay Thompson said of the Blazers.

Forward Draymond Green spoke of “lazy switching” on defense, allowing Lillard and McCollum to collectively make 12 of 16 three-point shots.

Bogut acknowledged the Warriors focused on defense in the first round, partly because it’s the playoffs and partly because they lost 30 points per game when Curry went down with ankle and knee injuries.

Ultimately, the Warriors turned the Rockets into a one-man show (James Harden).

“They have two guys who can make plays all over the floor and shoot threes,” Kerr said.

The Trail Blazers reinvented themselves this season, after losing several key players.

LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and Arron Afflalo all departed, and the Blazers still won 44 games and knocked off the Clippers in the first round.